Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Me and a co-worker found a scarlet king snake with mouth rot yesterday evening at work. Unfortunately, being Saturday and now Sunday, there are no vet clinics open until monday(tomorrow). I have research into mouth rot and based on the infected portion, there is a good chance that if the snake survives, it will become a long term captive (the initial intent was rehab and release but does not appear so after researching MR treatment). I have done hours of research into their care and have a set-up ready to go if it can be saved at the vet. Anyone have any extra tips as to keeping them besides standard care sheets and guides?

I have access to plenty of lizards and skinks. My only concern is if removal of infected tissue is necessary, will it be able to restrain live prey? I read several times that sometimes the snake will only take live lizards, not F/T.

Thanks.

I used to breed scarlet kings.
It would concern me that a wild caught specimen had mouth rot.
hopefully it just got some substrate in its mouth and not any indication of underlying immune deficiency.
I would keep it in strict isolation from the rest of your collection.
ground skinks are like crack to elapsoides. they will eat them live, dead, F/T ground up....it doesn't matter....if you have larger skinks, freeze one and use it to scent pinks....most will take appropriately sized anole and they LOVE anole eggs.
housing them in shoe box size rubbermaids works well but they are the best escape artists so there must be no clearance if in a rack....better yet just use the tops and put weights on them,,,,the black morph below escaped after being housed in a neonate tub rack for three years. I never found him,,,,he was the cornerstone of my black morph project...they will escape if given the chance,,,,norm,

That is heart breaking about your black morph getting away, that is a beautiful snake and one can only imagine what the offspring would be like with a few years of work.

Thanks for the info Norm. Unfortunately some further symptoms have developed since I acquired the snake, symptoms that lean towards Ophidiomyces. As a result, the snake is indeed quarantined from the rest of my collection. I have been in contact with a herpetologist that has been doing work in recent years with Ophidiomyces in southern Illinois. Luckily, one thing the elapsoides has going for it is that it is accepting ground skinks.
I will try to find a larger 5 line skink or broad head to use to scent pinks for it.

Also that is a real shame about the black phase, looked real nice.